Peace Marketing
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CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Ecoforum Journal (University of Suceava, Romania) ECOFORUM [Volume 4, Issue 2 (7), 2015] PEACE MARKETING Alexandru-Mircea NEDELEA Stefan cel Mare University of Suceava, Romania [email protected] Marilena-Oana NEDELEA Stefan cel Mare University of Suceava, Romania [email protected] Abstract Peace marketing is a new concept which could be part of the category of the public international marketing and it is, at the same time, a non-profit marketing. The concept of peace marketing is a new one, but one that should be developed because our future depends on the efficiency of the marketing campaigns for peace. Key words: warfare marketing, peace marketing, international public marketing JEL Classification: M31, M38, M39 I. WARFARE MARKETING Any incursion with analytical objectives targeted in the space of conflicts in human history evidences many cases in which unleashing a war was preceded by an intense propaganda to prepare the public to admit belligerent measures and embrace the idea that the attack was justified. War propaganda generally means spreading tendentious or invented news, in order to instigate to war, or any other manifestations in favour of unleashing an armed conflict, orally, by writing, radio, television, cinema or other such means. Under such circumstances, often, the press,”the ex watchdog of society”, is transformed into the loudspeaker of power when the power’s interests aim at conquering new territories and new commodity markets. Propaganda in media obsessively transmits messages that have the role of demonizing a troublesome ruler of a country that is to be conquered or divided. In this context of different attitudes and concepts related to the warfare marketing, it is time to remember the media war. This is different from the legal approach concerning the use of commercials an d promotion of the positions, with the moral limits of such an approach when the promoted object is not the real one or when the promotion is done through subliminal techniques. The media war clearly enters the space of illegality and the national security threat. II. PEACE MARKETING It is difficult to ascertain which is our biggest wish. Certainly, extremely important is to live in peace and harmony with those around us, to live a calm and careless live within family. And wouldn’t be normal that the organizations which assume humanistic principles and aims have as a main objective assuring peace internationally? Peace marketing is a concept which could be part of the category of the public international marketing. It is, at the same time, a non-profit marketing. We could not speak of a sale activity. We could include this new concept as part of the social marketing. Peace marketing tries to influence social behaviours, to change attitudes, habits, not in the benefit of the person who does marketing, but in the benefit of the society in general. It implies the development of some programs destined to impose and sustain some causes and ideas that may lead to the salvation of humanity from self-destruction, being essential to understand that the Earth is our home, and that it is our interest to live in peace and harmony on this planet that we like to consider wonderful. How can we speak of a satisfying state of the world and of the satisfaction of people in a time in which many states on the planet allot huge sums for armament, the production of mass destruction arms? Meanwhile, poverty and hunger are extending, environment is deteriorating, resources are running out, many people have not access to education and minimum living conditions. Marketing has a few simple rules. One of these is that if you want to draw the public, you must find what the public is interested in. Peace is a state of facts that any normal person on earth wants (except those who 188 ECOFORUM [Volume 4, Issue 2 (7), 2015] sell arms). According to the marketing optics, people don’t look for products first, but for solutions for their problems. Consequently, peace represents one of these solutions that any human being is interested in. In a moment in which modern world is struck by terrorist attacks, wars, conflicts, cyber attacks, in almost all the regions peace and compliance with the right of each citizen to peace are more necessary than ever. In a normal, common sense plea, it must be emphasized that peace is the way to understanding, trust, the way of an honest friendship between peoples, it is - if we don’t avoid a big word- the condition of happiness on earth. Life can flourish when there is durable peace. We must fight for maintaining peace on the blue Planet, for offering the young generation the chance to live their life in the plenitude of the age, to affirm their personality, to devote their entire physical and intellectual potential to the progress of humanity, to the well- being of the society. For any conflictual state several pacifist solutions must be found and, every time it appears, the way of negotiations must be used, in order to solve it. Peace favours the harmonious development of the young generation, who, by becoming a vector of fulfilling some superior ideals, can find an effective way of a favourable communication between people. The ideal of peace means prosperous life, because thus money is not directed to produce death, destruction, suffering, but to increase prosperity of all and each person. Peace offers the creative energy which can build a world. Peace is the chance of a work that can ennoble man, that determines the cultural and technical progress. Peace means understanding, harmony between people, happy life on earth, without the war attrocities. (Chifu, 2006) In 1981, the United Nations declared September 21, the International Day of Peace. It is dedicated to peace and especially to the absence of war and violence. For example, it could bring about or impose the temporary cease fire in a war zone for the access of humanitarian aid. The day was celebrated for the first time in 1982, and since then it is celebrated each year by many nations, political and military organizations and many people. To open the day, the “Peace Bell” rings at the headquarters of the UNO (in New York City). It is cast from coins donated by children from all continents, except Africa, and was a gift from the United Nations Association of Japan, “as a memento of the human cost of war”. On the inscription on one side one can read: “Long live absolute world peace”. Another day dedicated to peace is marked on January 1- World Day of Peace. It was initiated by Pope Paul the 6th, who wanted it to be celebrated each year, on the first day of the calendar year. The World Day of Peace was proclaimed by the Vatican on December 8, 1967. Among the promoters of peace within the fields with a major impact in this sense one can evidence: education, tourism, humanitarian organizations, learning foreign languages. If we refer only to the first from the series of these factors, we must say that quality education is essential to establish peace, and peace is imposed to be the essence of education. Education- an appropriate and quality education- can offer children hopes and opportunities and can heal the war traumas. A school can and must be a place of peace. Given that war begins in people’s mind, also in their mind it is normal to begin the building of the plea for peace. A quality education must be assured before, during and after the end of a conflict, and during the negotiations of the peace agreements. (Wedge, 2008) Education for peace supposes cultivating some superior attitudes and training people in order to avoid conflicts, and promoting a constructive dialogue, cultivating receptivity and flexibility, respect towards values and aspirations, towards oneself and others, the ability to identify common points and to respect the diversity of situations and life styles. These objectives of education for peace are the touchstone in the process of education of each personality. The goals of education for peace can be converted, at the level of school education, in the strategies of forming a cooperation behaviour. It means, first, to avoid final classifications and hierarchical placing, competition, which can have negative consequences on the relations between pupils, who learn that it is important and noble to support and help each other. 189 ECOFORUM [Volume 4, Issue 2 (7), 2015] III. PEACE SYMBOLS From the marketing point of view, we can identify a series of signs which contribute to the creation of some peace symbols with an important and recognized role in the promotion of this concept: the dove and olive branch, the white flag, the peace pipe, one thousand cranes, etc. The dove and olive branch. The dove was and remains a peace and good symbol, irrespective of the country, time, cultural and linguistic barriers. Since Noah and the deluge, the dove and the olive branch in its beak has been the symbol of hope, new land and beginning. The olive branch is historically representative for peace not only for the Hebrew people, but also for the ancient Greeks and for the Islam. A possible explanation for the relation between the olive and the peace is that the olives bear fruit not easily, and the olive culture would be difficult to achieve during war. For thousands of years, the dove has brought the olive branch and announced the end of the deluge and the return to normality. Over centuries, it was used as the symbol of soul or social peace, in the biblical translations and, later, on the seals, banknotes and coins.